Archive for December, 2009
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The Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia has become well known in the Southern Hemisphere as the region of choice for the well-heeled to holiday.
It has all the ingredients that are sought by the hard working executive to relax and recharge their batteries. Stunning beaches, a consistent climate, world class restaurants, great surf and an endless supply of cold beer. However hidden beneath the surface of this holiday paradise is the fact that it is consistently producing and training world class athletes.
Pat Rafter who was ranked number 1 mens singles tennis player in the world in 1999 and won 2 US open titles at Flushing Meadow, was honing his tennis skills from an early age in Eumundi,(he went to the same primary school as Kevin Rudd, the current Australian Prime Minister).
Gary Elkerton was raised in a beachside caravan park in Mooloolaba, where he honed his surfing skills. He finished runner up on the world tour three times in the 80’s and 90’s and won the Quicksilver Masters in France in 2001. Alexandra Headland, Point Cartwright, Old Woman Island, Moffats and Double Island Point are where he learnt his trade.
Mal Meninga was raised in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, starting his A grade Rugby League career with Palmwoods then moved onto the Nambour All Whites. He went onto captain Australia as well as lead the Maroons to four straight State of Origin series wins as coach (the best coaching record in the history of Origin). He also holds the world record for shortest political career when in 2001 he resigned within 28 seconds of announcing he was running for parliament.
Ian Baker-Finch grew up in Nambour and joined the PGA tour in 1979, he gradually built a reputation as a world class golfer through the eighties finally winning the most coveted major in golf, the 1991 Open Championship.
After retiring from the professional tour he became a commentator for CBS in the States and gained worldwide press headlines when he stood by the 18th green commentating at the 2007 Barclays tournament, to be hit on the head and laid out unconscious by a stray shot from the American Rich Beem.
Other world class athletes from the Sunshine Coast include Grant Kenny who grew up in Maryborough and won canoeing bronze in the LA Olympics of 1984, Billy Slater who grew up in Nambour and has become one of the stars of the NRL as well as representing Australia and Josh Constable, born and raised in Noosa, who won the World Longboard title in 2006.
The Coast is also currently home to Evonne Cawley(winner of 6 Grand Slam singles tennis titles), who lives in Sunshine Beach, Michael O’Connor (represented Australia at Rugby Union and League) who lives in Sunshine Beach, Raelene Boyle(winner of 7 Commonwealth Games gold medals and 3 Olympic silvers in the 100m and 200m) who lives in Buderim and Lisa Curry-Kenny (winner of 7 Commonwealth games swimming gold medals), who lives in Minyama.
If you are looking for Sunshine Coast accommodation, particularly a Mooloolaba resort, you will find the best Mooloolaba apartments at Bluewater Point resort.
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How disappointing for my 11 year old son. I bought a copy of Order of War for him for Christmas today, but when I installed it, I got the message:
“Duplicate Product Code - The product you’ve entered has already been activated by an existing Steam account and is therefore invalid. Your activation of Order of War Retail has not been completed.”
You see this game is “Steam Powered”, which means you have to have an internet connection and a Steam account to install the bloody thing. Oh, it is written on the box, in about 4 point type on the back.
I suspect the Steam Powered is a clunky and unreliable way of trying to overcome software piracy.
So now I have to go through the process of either returning the game to the retailer when next it opens in the new year, or work through the Steam help desk process to try and get it fixed.
Based on the feedback on the Internet about Steam support, I think I’ll just return the game to the retailer, get a refund and ask them what non-Steam powered games they have.
You see the Steam CD Key reactivation process is a pain. You have to register for yet another Steam account, no, you can’t use the Steam account you created when you first install the game.
The process is along the lines of:
1. Register a support account at Steam support
2. Confirm the email
3. Find the support request area
4. Realise that you have to take a digital picture of the back of the instruction book to prove that you did, in fact, buy the game.
5. Borrow a digital camera. Hey Steam Support - not everyone owns a digital camera !
6. Take the picture of the back of the instruction book
7. Upload the picture to your PC
8. Complete the support request and attach the digital picture from your PC
9. Return the digital camera from where you borrowed it
10. Wait for Steam support to get back to you with an answer. Who knows how long that will take over the Christmas period.
11. Write a blog post slamming the whole Steam system
I don’t know, we can land a remote vehicle on Mars, but we can’t some up with a simple and reliable software activation process.
Do not, I repeat, do not buy Steam powered games. Especially if you don’t want to disappoint a child on Christmas day.
Angry Dad of Disappointed Child
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Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, just off Canada’s Pacific coast, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Georgia. It is 460 km (286 mi) long and up to 80 km (50 mi) wide, a magnificent landscape of emerald forests, snow-capped mountains, flower-filled meadows, crystal-clear ice-cold lakes and rivers, and pristine coastline pounded by the Pacific Ocean. The island is paradise for outdoor pursuits enthusiasts, and it is one of the few places in the world where you can play golf and go skiing on the same day.
There are mountains down the centre of the island, the Vancouver Island Ranges, dividing it into the rugged and wet west coast and the drier east coast with a more rolling landscape. The highest point on the island is the Golden Hinde at 2,195 m (7,200 ft), lying within the Strathcona Provincial Park, and there are a few glaciers here, the largest of which is the Comox Glacier.
The west coast is rocky and mountainous, characterized by fjords, bays and inlets, while the interior has many rivers and lakes, of which Kennedy Lake, northeast of Ucluelet, is the largest.
At the southern tip of the island is the elegant capital, Victoria, with its historic parliament, narrow streets dotted with cafes, pubs and colourful gardens, and boats floating lazily in the sparkling harbour. There is an abundance of sights to experience here, including the world-famous Butchart Botanical Gardens, with over a million plants. The gardens are divided into themed areas, such as Japanese or Italian, and each is a beautiful garden in its own right.
Activities available in this big outdoors include skiing, white-water rafting, caving, mountain biking, surfing, sailing, diving and snorkelling, bungy jumping and many other exciting pursuits. There are deep-sea fishing trips for halibut, salmon and chinook, whale-watching excursions or kayaking in the inlets of the Pacific Rim National Park.
Trekking and hiking through the wilderness is also popular here, and can be done on horse or on foot along the trails in the fir-lined woods. Wildlife viewing is becoming more and more popular, with black bears high on the wish-list, and ecotours by boat can offer sightings of bald eagles, sea lions and sea otters.
Looking to travel overseas or within Australia? For cheap flights to Gold Coast, cheap flights to Cairns or cheap flights to Brisbane, contact Flight Centre today.
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